Origin of the Tongbai-Dabie-Sulu Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O igneous province, east-central China

Zircons from 71 diverse rocks from the Qinling-Tongbai-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt in east-central China and, for comparison, eight from adjoining areas in the South China and North China blocks, have been analyzed for in situ ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio and/or U-Pb age to further constrain the spatial distribution and genesis of Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O magmas, that is, δ¹⁸O(zircon) ≤4 ‰ VSMOW. In many metaigneous rock samples from Tongbai-Dabie-Sulu, including high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure eclogites and associated granitic orthogneisses, average δ¹⁸O values for Neoproterozoic "igneous" zircon cores (i. e., 800-600 Ma) vary from -0. 9 to 6. 9 ‰, and from -9. 9 to 6. 8 ‰ for Triassic metamorphic rims (i. e., 245-200 Ma). The former extend to values lower than zircons in primitive magmas from the Earth's mantle (ca. 5-6 ‰). The average Δ¹⁸O (metamorphic zircon - "igneous" zircon) values vary from -11. 6 to 0. 9 ‰. The large volume of Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O igneous protoliths at Tongbai-Dabie-Sulu is matched only by the felsic volcanic rocks of the Snake River Plain hotspot track, which terminates at the Yellowstone Plateau. Hence, the low-δ¹⁸O values at Tongbai-Dabie-Sulu are proposed to result from shallow subcaldera processes by comparison with Yellowstone, where repeated caldera-forming magmatism and hydrothermal alteration created similar low-δ¹⁸O magmas. However, the possibility of involvement of meltwaters from local continental glaciations, rather than global Neoproterozoic glaciations, cannot be precluded. Our data indicate that Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O magmas that are either subduction- or rift-related are present locally along the western margin of the South China Block (e. g., Baoxing Complex). It appears that Neoproterozoic ¹⁸O-depletion events in the South China Block as the result of hydrothermal alteration and magmatism affected a much larger area than was previously recognized.